Participation in Physical Education Classes and Health-Related Behaviours among Adolescents from 67 Countries

João Martins, Adilson Marques, Élvio Rúbio Gouveia, Francisco Carvalho, Hugo Sarmento and Miguel González Valeiro
Additional contact information
João Martins: Centro de Estudos de Educação, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana e UIDEF, Instituto de Educação, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-004 Lisboa, Portugal
Adilson Marques: CIPER, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, 1649-004 Lisboa, Portugal
Élvio Rúbio Gouveia: Departement of Physical Education and Sport, University of Madeira, 9000-072 Funchal, Portugal
Francisco Carvalho: Centro de Estudos de Educação, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana e UIDEF, Instituto de Educação, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-004 Lisboa, Portugal
Hugo Sarmento: Research Unit for Sport and Physical Activity (CIDAF), Faculty of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, Estádio Universitário de Coimbra, University of Coimbra, 3040-256 Coimbra, Portugal
Miguel González Valeiro: Facultad de Ciencias del Deporte y la Educación Física, Universidad de A Coruña, 15001 A Coruña, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 2, 1-16

Abstract: The present study sought to examine the associations between participation in physical education (PE) classes and a range of health-related behaviours among adolescents. Secondary analysis of self-reported data from the Global Student Health Survey, collected between 2010 and 2017 from 222,121 adolescents (N = 117,914 girls; 49.0%; aged 13–17 years) from 67 countries and five world regions, was carried out. Participation in PE classes (0, 1–2, ≥3 days/week) was the independent variable. Physical activity (PA); sedentary behaviour (SB); active travel to school; fruit, vegetables, and alcohol consumption; and smoking; as well as adopting ≥5 of these healthy behaviours; were the dependent variables. Complex samples logistic regressions were performed to explore the associations between participation in PE classes and health-related behaviours. The results revealed that 18.2% of adolescents did not take part in PE classes. A total of 56.7% and 25.1% of adolescents reported participating in PE classes on 1–2 and ≥3 days/week, respectively. Only 26.8% of adolescents adopted ≥5 healthy behaviours. Participation in PE classes was positively associated with PA, active travel, fruit consumption, and vegetable consumption (only for ≥3 days/week), but was negatively associated with meeting SB recommendations, and with not smoking (only for girls and ≥3 days/week). Overall, PE participation was positively associated with adopting ≥5 healthy behaviours, with favourable results found for those who attended more PE classes. The findings revealed a positive association between participation in PE classes and a range of health-related behaviours among adolescents. This suggests that, worldwide, quality PE should be delivered at least 3 days per week up to daily to promote healthy lifestyles among adolescents.

Keywords: physical education; physical activity; sedentary behaviour; nutrition; smoke; alcohol; healthy lifestyle; adolescence; preventative health; public health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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